PGA Tour rocked by bombshell defection as Masters champ joins LIV Golf

The whispers in the golf world are about to become a shocking reality with another star set to make a bombshell move this week.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - MARCH 01: Jon Rahm of Spain during the pro-am prior to the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 01, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The whispers in the golf world are about to become a shocking reality.

Jon Rahm is expected to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf this week “assuming talks don’t fall apart,” the Wall Street Journal reported Friday (AEDT).

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Previous reports on Rahm’s defection have noted the deal would pay the reigning Masters champ somewhere in the range of $600 million (A$907m).

Rahm’s anticipated move would represent a seismic shift in the golf world as he would instantly become the face of the rebel league.

It comes as PGA Tour head Jay Monahan is planning to meet with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which would further entwine the PGA with LIV Golf, which is also funded by PIF.

The two sides have until a Dec. 31 deadline to complete negotiations after a framework agreement was stunningly announced in June. It is possible, though, that the deadline is pushed into the new year.

Signs of Rahm’s departure have been popping up for weeks.

First, the 29-year-old pulled out of TGL, the technology-driven golf league being run by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy that is partnered with the PGA Tour.

Then, golf reporter Alan Shipnuck claimed that Phil Mickelson — who is a close friend of Rahm’s and shares an agent with him — had been telling people that Rahm coming to LIV Golf was a “done deal.”

Rahm won the Masters earlier this year. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

And this week, Rahm was not in the field for The American Express tournament, which he won last year.

There was still reason to be sceptical as Rahm had remained publicly and steadfastly committed to the PGA Tour.

“I’ve never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world …” Rahm said at last year’s U.S. Open. “I have always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that. There’s a meaning when you win the Memorial Championship. There’s a meaning when you win Arnold Palmer’s event at Bay Hill. There’s a meaning when you win L.A., Torrey, some of these historic venues. That to me matters a lot.

“After winning this past U.S. Open, only me and Tiger (Woods) have won at Torrey Pines. Making putts on 18—that’s a memory that I’m gonna have forever that not many people can say. My heart is with the PGA Tour. That’s all I can say. It’s not my business or my character to judge anybody who thinks otherwise. And for a lot of people, I’m not gonna lie, those next three, four years are worth, basically, their retirement plan. It’s a very nice compensation until they retire and sail off into the sunset.”

Rahm is set to join a host of big names already competing in LIV Golf. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Rahm now appears set to sail his life in a different direction.

LIV Golf does not lack star power with Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cam Smith and Bryson DeChambeau among the players who have previously defected for deals reported to be in the $100 million range.

However, it has had a difficult time garnering an audience.

LIV was broadcast on YouTube in its inaugural season and had minuscule ratings in Year 2 on the CW.

How a PGA-LIV merger changes the future of both tours remains to be seen — if it even comes to fruition.

But, for now, one of the biggest players in the sport appears to be switching sides.

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission

Originally published as PGA Tour rocked by bombshell defection as Masters champ joins LIV Golf